Five Features for the iPhone in the Next Decade

Although the iPhone - including in its current 3G S form - is one of the most popular smart phones around, there's always room for improvement.  If we can expect to see the kind of revolution in smart phones that we saw in the first decades of the 2000's, then we should be in for some major treats.  But what is the iPhone still missing?  Here are some features we thought could be welcome additions:

1.  A keyboard you can really touch.

The iPhone has gone its merry way without a physical keyboard, instead using a touch-screen.  But many people enjoy keyboards that actually click and allow you to desively click on a certain letter or number if they so desire.  However, as iPhone Download Blog notes, a physical keyboard might be a welcome upgrade that Apple might never embrace.  Maybe you can use that touch-screen to type a frowny-face.

2.  Battery life.

As more and more people use the iPhone as they travel, there's a good case to be made that battery life is one of the more important features on smart phones out there right now.  The iPhone has a notoriously shaky battery life, requiring a lot of recharging - but what if you're out in the middle of the sea with no outlets?  Then you're stuck.  An improved battery life could give world travelers and people on the run more reason to consider purchasing the iPhone.

3.  HD video!

The world is slowly evolving into a sharper form of video known as high-definition, and it would be nice if the iPhone decided to come along for the ride, as The Apple Blog notes.  With the Zune HD supporting HD, you have to wonder if the marketplace will soon push the iPhone in the direction of sharper video.

4.  Wireless syncing.

Technology always seems to move toward smaller, more wireless solutions, but the iPhone 3G S still doesn't offer wireless syncing.  One goal of technology is to make things simpler, so giving more wireless capabilities to the iPhone is a great way to clear the clutter.

5.  More Flash support.

You see Flash all across the Web these days, and the iPhone is lagging behind the times.

If you come into this decade with low expectations, remember that technology can often be unpredictable, and the span of ten years is a lot of time in which we can see developments in the iPhone world.